OBS. 9.—­When the use of the preposition produces ambiguity or harshness, let a better expression be sought.  Thus the sentence, “He mentions Newton’s writing of a commentary,” is not entirely free from either of these faults.  If the preposition be omitted, the word writing will have a double construction, which is inadmissible, or at least objectionable.  Some would say, “He mentions Newton writing a commentary.”  This, though not uncommon, is still more objectionable because it makes the leading word in sense the adjunct in construction.  The meaning may be correctly expressed thus:  “He mentions that Newton wrote a commentary.”  “Mr. Dryden makes a very handsome observation on Ovid’s writing a letter from Dido to AEneas.”—­Spect., No. 62; Campbell’s Rhet., p. 265; Murray’s Key, ii, 253.  Here the word writing is partly a noun and partly a participle.  If we make it wholly a noun, by saying, “on Ovid’s writing of a letter,” or wholly a participle, by saying, “on Ovid writing a letter;” it may be doubted, whether we have effected any improvement.  And again, if we adopt Dr. Lowth’s advice, “Let it be either the one or the other, and abide by its proper construction;” we must make some change; and therefore ought perhaps to say; “on Ovid’s conceit of writing a letter from Dido to AEneas.”  This is apparently what Addison meant, and what Dryden remarked upon; the latter did not speak of the letter itself, else the former would have said, “on Ovid’s letter from Dido to AEneas.”

OBS. 10.—­When a needless possessive, or a needless article, is put before the participle, the correction is to be made, not by inserting of, but by expunging the article, according to Note 16th to Rule 1st, or the possessive, according to Note 5th to Rule 4th.  Example:  “By his studying the Scriptures he became wise.”—­Lennie’s Gram., p. 91.  Here his serves only to render the sentence incorrect; yet this spurious example is presented by Lennie to prove that a participle may take the possessive case before it, when the preposition of is not admissible after it.  So, in stead of expunging one useless word, our grammarians often add an other and call the twofold error a correction; as, “For his avoiding of that precipice, he is indebted to his friend’s care.”—­Murray’s Key, ii, 201.  Or worse yet:  “It was from our misunderstanding of the directions that we lost our way.”—­Ibid. Here, not our and of only, but four other words, are worse than useless.  Again:  “By the exercising of our judgment, it is improved.  Or thus:  By exercising our judgment, it is improved.”—­Comly’s Key in his Gram., 12th Ed., p. 188.  Each of these pretended corrections is wrong in more respects than one.  Say, “By exercising our judgement, we improve it” Or, “Our judgement